


Appeasing through a Nostalgic Evening

by xtsukki



Category: Gintama
Genre: Joui War, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-03 02:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8692450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtsukki/pseuds/xtsukki
Summary: It was always Gintoki who had the nightmares of the Joui Era, but what if it was Katsura all along. Beneath the composure and the attitude, what if Katsura was hiding his misery of that day. Set in the Joui Era!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts: Nightmare +/- Comfort Zone  
> 1\. Nightmare: a frightening or unpleasant dream.  
> 2\. Comfort Zone: a situation where one feels safe or at ease. OR A settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results.

_The war was wailing on its final days, the samurais each bitterly glancing up to the heavens wondering when the nightmare will end._

* * *

 

Katsura found his comfort zone during these grim times through solitude and nature. A little mile away from the camp was where he’d usually sought to calm down and rest his mind. The solemn atmosphere of the forest was something he sought for comfort, ease. This place allowed him to not think of his duties and the revenge they were after and just stare in to space.

This was a place where he could zone out from his responsibilities for a good while. Responsibilities that drained his motivation to life. Headaches becoming more frequent during these nights and nightmares popping up whenever get wanted to rest his mind from the anxious thoughts. _Would they find sensei and return to those days?_

One night he stayed behind at the camp's tent and tried to rest his body from the endless fights that took place that very day. As usual sleep didn't fall upon him, he was still overthinking the strategies from earlier on and the meeting which was about their next plan. As the general of the summit, it was his responsibility to make sure things went smoothly yet nothing was going right no more.

Sighing in defeat, not knowing when he will be able to catch a break from everything he wanders about the forest - a mile away from the tents and sits down beside the tree that reminded him of his treasured past. He rested his head on the tree trunk and breathed through the misty air.

He observed the nature surrounding him, which was different from the earthly grounds they fought in. This place despite it being in a forest allowed him to see through the horizon and the moon much more clearly. Maybe it was because it was midnight that the nature became much more spectacular. Nonetheless, this was a place where he could finally rest even if it was for a little moment. A place where he was sure no one was going to seek for him. Little did he know that someone else was also seeking a place of comfort, they were sure no one would be around.

Gintoki was meant to be keeping an eye out for enemies and its kind. Yet his mind was wandering around as he walked around the forest mindlessly. He came upon a tree that reminded him of his past. The tree was leafless, its branches sticking out like a sore thumb in the dim evening and the twigs crackling through the icy wind that flowed past.

Touching the trunk and smoothly feeling its rough texture he continues to blank out in the misty evening till he hears movements alerting his mind back to reality.

_Whimpers? Was someone crying?_ Gintoki looking confused follows the sound of the whimpers wondering if it was a child, or one of the samurais that was looking for somewhere to shed his emotions. He stops by, a little metre away from the person that was grumbling softly, to see if he recognised the person before moving up to him.

The person was sitting down on the ground, his head leaning backwards on to the trunk of a tree with his eyes furrowed tightly.

* * *

"Hey, Zura?"

He bent down and observed him, slowly patting him to wake up. Yet Katsura endless turns of suffering only sullied his heart. He wanted to erase all of his pain and grief from him, knowing full well Katsura would seek to do something like this. Finding a place in darkness to ease himself from this cruel world. He knew that because of the war, it wasn't going to be easy to relax knowing full well many of their comrades falling in to despair, in to their deaths.

Katsura eyes fluttered opened a little hazed, breathing heavily in and out he grasps on to Gintoki's arm.

Gintoki froze.

"Are you alright? Hey?" He bites his lips anxiously observing Katsura whose brows turning in to a heavy frown, beads of sweat tricking down with his silky hair sticking in to his face. He doesn’t responds instead falls asleep once more.

Gintoki then slowly places Katsura head on to his shoulder. He then uses his index finger to push the strand of silky hair away from Katsura’s face in a soft manner. The gentle touches on his face seemingly bought tranquil on to him which in turn eased the restless Gintoki at his side. His breathing rate pacing down to normal level, his brows resting, lighting up his facial expression.

Gintoki sighed in relief. He didn't think he'd see Katsura struggling in his dreams in the middle of nowhere. The camp was still a mile from here. Speculating if he should wake him up, he shakes his head and peeps up at the sky.

He glanced sideways to watch Katsura's peaceful face. Humming whilst wondering if he was going to wake up soon, Gintoki continues to caress his hair unknowingly aware of Katsura fidgeting beneath him.

* * *

Katsura pondered if he was still at the tent, he squints his eyes open to see the person patting his head so gently. White band, a familiar scent and a broad shoulder. It was Gintoki, his band on his head trickling on to his face.

"Gintoki?" Katsura murmured softly.

"Y-yeah?" Gintoki fumbled backwards, startling Katsura who lost his balance and fell on top of him.

They gazed at each other wide eyed, both completely alarmed that they ended up in a situation like this.

Gintoki winced after a while later, despite his fragile image, Katsura was still heavy.

"Oh. Sorry about that." Although he said that it was hard to put himself back up - his head started to ring.

"Hey, Zura?"

Katsura shook his head and sat up leaning on the tree trunk behind him. He came to this place to calm his headaches from earlier on. Yet his head was still ringing from weariness.

"It's nothing, I just need to calm down for a bit."

Gintoki got up from his position and looked intensely at Katsura. He had no idea what to do and how to ease his pain emulating from his head.

“I-If you need anything just say.”

Katsura opened his eyes a moment later, coming back to his senses. It was quiet, the moon shone brightly above them.

"You know Gintoki, remember those peaceful days we walked around the fields not caring about this all.”

Gintoki listened to him, seeing at that was all he could do for now. Let Katsura pour his feeling and thoughts on to him as a way to comfort himself from the torturous world.

“Honestly, I'm tired of it all." He whispers closing his eyes again.

"We'll get sensei back. That's what we're here for, fighting..." Gintoki wasn't even sure about that either anymore. Each day they fought the amantos, the clock ticked by signalling the end of their hopes. Yet each day it was becoming so hard for them to believe what they were doing was the right thing or not.

"You're right. It isn't over yet." Katsura slowly stood up from the ground patting away the dirt from his attire. Worrying Gintoki would be the last thing he wanted to achieve today, putting his thoughts to one place he sighed.

"Let's go back before they start wondering if we ran away."

Gintoki got up from his deep thoughts and grabbed on to his hand lifting him up.

He broke in to a half-hearted smile, “No way will that happen.”

The two strolled down their way back to the tents in complete silence, taking this as a moment to come to an understanding. They missed the old days, and if meant struggling was a way they’d get back together with _sensei_ , then it will all amounted to something somehow. But, for now they'd continue on fighting for their own sake.

**Author's Note:**

> An attempt to try to merge 2 prompts in one, hopefully it worked alright. Also, this was meant to be uploaded few days ago...


End file.
